The present invention generally relates to a sewing machine lift device and, more particularly, to a lift device to alternately provide flat bed, free arm and storage positions for a sewing machine head of the type having a free arm.
A wide variety of mounting mechanisms for domestic sewing machines which are mounted in cabinets have been proposed in the past. These machines are normally provided with a mounting mechanism which enables the sewing machine to be secured in an upper operating position and also to be lowered into a storage position within the cabinet. In addition, mounting mechanisms for free arm sewing machines provide an additional higher working position to optimize the use of the free arm feature.
Although mounting mechanisms for free arm sewing machines are known, they are often quite complex, difficult to operate, and require heavy lifting. Specifically, such mounting mechanisms commonly consist of rear hinge points about which the sewing machine pivots into the storage position and, in addition, a forward hinged section is commonly provided in the cabinet top for clearance for passage of the head of the sewing machine and also to provide support to hold the machine in the operating position, but the primary disadvantage of this type of system is that the forward hinged section, and the clearances required, necessitate that the working position of the machine is relatively far back from the front of the cabinet. Moreover, moving the sewing machine from the storage position requires lifting much of the head weight of the sewing machine and, importantly, the movement is often in an awkward rearward arc which dictates the need for spring assists or counterbalances.
With the more recent popularity of the free arm sewing machine, the need for a three position lift mechanism has been emphasized. Typical examples of these types of mechanisms can be seen in any of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,005,918; 4,108,512; 4,132,454; 4,201,427; and 4,274,686. While the primary problem of providing a lift mechanism has been addressed, no one has successfully overcome the recognized disadvantages of such mechanisms.
In order to overcome the problems in this area, the present invention provides a new lift device whose primary objective is to provide two working positions near the front of the cabinet. A further important object is to provide a lift device which inherently shifts the sewing machine center of gravity closer to the pivot point during movement. Another important object is to significantly reduce the force required to move the sewing machine between the various positions without the need for spring assistance. Still another important object is to provide a lift device which can be simply and conveniently shifted between the various positions from a seated operating position. Additional objects will become apparent from a consideration of the details of construction and operation set forth hereinafter.